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Side by side

L'Oreal Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner vs ORS Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm

89% function match · 9 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 43%. L'Oreal Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner and ORS Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner — heat styling
  • Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm — maximum slip

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
L'Oreal Elvive

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner

  • Leave-in
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
ORS Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm — 8.5 oz container ORS

Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm

  • Leave-in
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$8.99 5.1 oz · $1.76/oz
$7.61 8.5 oz · $0.98/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 61% of the 553 leave-ins we’ve priced
Lower cost than most leave-ins $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 81% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Heat protection
Stated to 450°F The brand states a protection temperature — a label claim, not a measurement. Your hair
—
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Heat stylingthe brand states protection to 450°F
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Leave-incream
Leave-incream
Where to buy
Brand website · Target · Drugstore
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
Cruelty-free
—
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Heat protection
up to 450°F
—

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In ConditionerRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Dimethicone
Buildup
#2Leading
#4Supporting
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#3Leading
#5Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner

Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm

Full ingredient list — Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner (40)
Full ingredient list — Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm (40)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In ConditionerRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
1
1
Stated by brand
2
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner

  • Leave In Protein Hair TreatmentStated by brandHow to use it, not a claim.
  • Helps recharge strength and protect against up to 450F heatPartly supportedSold for hot tools; untestable here.
  • The #1 brand in repairStated by brandPopularity, not performance.

Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm

  • Richly nourishing and strengthening leave-in treatment formulated specifically for relaxed and texlaxed hairSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Moisture-rich formula detangles, softens and smoothsSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Strengthens to help prevent breakage and support length retentionPartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • Protects from heat stylingStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Revitalizes to promote healthy hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for moisture. ORS Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm draws complaints about dryness.

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner

Makes brushing easier and leaves hair soft and manageable

Target reviewers

Smooths dry curls and reduces frizz or breakage

Target reviewers

Reviewers warn that the newer Ceramide Recharge formula is different and less effective

Target reviewers comparing the old Protein Recharge SKU

Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm

Good for kids' natural hair, used long-term (since toddler age) with continued satisfaction

Strong moisturizing/manageability effect on thick, coarse natural hair, becomes a repeat-purchase 'go to' product

Not well suited for relaxed/color-treated hair — one long-term user reported hair became noticeably thinner over time despite initial moisture benefit

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$0.98/oz vs $1.76/oz — L'Oreal Elvive Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner costs about 1.8× more per ounce than ORS Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm.

$0.01/oz median $2.46/oz $76.00/oz $1.76/oz Total Repair 5 Protein Rec $0.98/oz Relax & Restore Maintain M

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 553 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In ConditionerRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for leave-ins per ounce.
Lower cost than most leave-insCosts less per ounce than most leave-ins we have researched.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner vs Run-Through Detangling PrimerOribe · 93% function matchRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm vs Run-Through Detangling PrimerOribe · 93% function matchTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner vs Half & Half Hydrating Silkening Hair MilkAunt Jackie's · 93% function matchRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm vs Repairing Leave-In Conditioner (Certified Pure Plants, Aloe & Camellia Flower Oil)Herbal Essences · 90% function matchTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner vs Kid's Detangling SpraySuavecito · 92% function matchRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm vs BC Bonacure Repair Rescue Sealed Ends+ ArginineSchwarzkopf Professional · 87% function matchTotal Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner vs Blow Dry StylerOdele · 92% function matchRelax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm vs Wavy Curly Leave-In Conditioner with Aloe & Avocado OilOld Spice · 86% function match

Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Leave In Conditioner · Relax & Restore Maintain Moisture Hair Balm · All leave-ins in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 9 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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